Number of tick-infested dogs doubles in a year

The number of dogs suffering tick bites has doubled in a year as vets warn 90 per cent could carry Lyme and other deadly diseases.

Vets taking part in The Big Tick Project studied more than 12,000 dogs over a 16 week period in Spring 2015. Almost one third of the dogs, 31 per cent, were found to be carrying a tick, up from 15 per cent on a study in 2014.

TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, who has championed is part of the project, said: "The first thing that is striking about the results is that almost one in three dogs that were taken into vets and randomly tested were carrying ticks, which is shocking.

"Also, these ticks were not just found in isolated parts of the UK, but all over the UK. "I would say that this is a tremendously significant project. It's the largest of its kind ever conducted in the UK and it has been extensive.

Chris Packham has promoted the Big Tick ProjectCredit:
Rex Features

"It was well supported by vets and dog owners too and the data has been rigorously analysed by the University of Bristol.

"The advice is very clear, go to your vet and speak to them about the most effective tick control for your pet."

Lyme disease in dogs can lead them to being lethargic, have swollen joints and nodes and can result in fatal kidney disease.

Dogs can become very unwell with babesiosis

Symptoms for babesiosis, which is more serious, include lethargy, lack of appetite, fever, anemia, pale gums, an enlarged abdomen, weight loss and jaundice.

Dogs which had died from babesiosis had previously been abroad, but the disease has now hit animals which haven't left the British Isles. One of the dogs checked by vets during the study had 200 ticks.

As part of The Big Tick Project, scientists from the University of Bristol mapped the ticks collected to build a picture of the current geographical spread of ticksin the UK and the resulting interactive map, searchable by postcode, shows the risk across the country on a scale of one to five.

The data shows the highest prevalence of tick infestation is in South West England, East Anglia and Scotland, but levels are high throughout of Central and Northern England.

Pet owners in urban areas need to be as concerned as people walking dogs in more rural areasProfessor Richard Wall

Professor Richard Wall, from the University of Bristol said: "The work that we have carried out shows that ticks are extremely widely dispersed.

"Everywhere across the UK we are likely to get a fairly high abundance of ticksat particular times of the year.

"The records that we have got appear to show that we have had an increase intick numbers right across the country.

"What we are primarily concerned about is the diseases that ticks carry. In the UK we have relatively low rates of the prevalence of these pathogens at the moment and in contrast in continental Europe they have much higher rates of disease.